Begin Again
by holy ground
Summary: Because there's no one like her.
1. missing you

His caramel irises followed the trail of autumn leaves. A girl around his age sat on the bench, reading a Nicholas Sparks book. A bold red scarf was wrapped around her neck, protecting herself from the windy weather. Her long, brown curls cascaded down her shoulder and it reminded him of _her. _He shoved his hand into his pockets and continued his walk in the park.

A million thoughts flew around in his head as he avoided the flashes and lights. Some of the thoughts were curses at the paparazzi that were invading his privacy and blinding his eyes. The majority of his thoughts were contemplating whether to give it a shot...again.

He swiftly made his way into his apartment before the photographers could ask him questions about his private life. He unlocked the door with his keys and closed it behind him. He switched on the lights and dropped his keys on the counter as it made a familiar clang. He plunged into his sofa, taking in its comfy and soft texture. He closed his eyes briefly and an image of her flashed in the darkness. Soon, every memory associated with her played in his mind. A sigh came out of his lips as he fingered his dog tag. It was one that she specially made for him. It was a gift that he could never forget.

_"Nicholas, close your eyes." She demanded with a smile playing on her pink glossed lips._

_His eyebrows furrowed in curiosity and confusion but he obeyed her and closed his eyes. A cool feeling wrapped around his neck and he felt the familiar touch of a chain. She leaned forward and stopped past his ear. She whispered, "Open your eyes." _

_His hands flew to his neck and realized it was a necklace. A dog tag hung at the end and he took a closer look at it. 'The year of no fear' was engraved on it. His eyes looked up to find her chocolate brown ones were staring right into his. He entwined his fingers through hers and spoke softly, "Thank you, Selena. It's perfect." He had a smile on his lips as she leaned in for a kiss. It was passionate. A 'no rush, just love' kiss that made her heart swooned._

He let out an irritated sigh and decided to go for it. He grabbed his iPhone on the coffee table and dialed in her number. Her name flashed on the screen and he hesitated for a second. He clicked on it and held the phone to his ear, listening to the dial tone.

"Nick?" She softly whispered on the third ring. His heart palpitated, his throat was suddenly raw. He swallowed and closed his eyes, trying to imagine her on the phone in her room or a restaurant. He licked his lips, "Am I disturbing you?"

She replied immediately, "No, I'm just reading a script for a new movie."

He inwardly sighed, carefully thinking of the set of words he's about to say. The dilemma returned to his mind. _Should I or should I not?_ the question ran around in his mind. He was tired of playing these games and decided to take his brother's advice which was to give it a try even though all hope was lost.

_"If you're not too busy, perhaps a coffee date will be alright?"_


	2. there's hope

_though our dearest days have passed,  
I know I will find you home.  
And in the wonder of the weakest glow,  
I know you're here.  
_**Find Home - The Honey Trees**

She was dressed in a white striped with black blouse and black jeans. Her bold, red scarf hugged her neck and she tugged on it to make it longer. Her long, brown hair fell down her back in curls and her lips were lightly glossed. She twirled the little spoon around in her cup of vanilla coffee, before taking a small sip. Her eyes averted to the people outside of the cafe and immediately, she caught him in the crowd. He had a blue button-up shirt, fedora hat and black jeans, with his hands in the pockets. He wore his black shades and his hair had the curls which she itched to run her hands through but instead she just played with the ring on her index finger.

There was one thing she noticed he was wearing and that was her gift to him; _the dog tag. _

The bells rang as he opened the door. Eyes watched him as he made his way to her table. He tipped his hat towards her as a greeting and she giggled, putting down her cup. She stood up and leaned towards him to embrace him in a hug. His arms were around her and she inhaled in his scent; peppermint and faintly of green apples which she missed and loved so much. She pulled back and ran her hands down his muscular arms. She gazed into those brown eyes, she never get tired of them, and smiled sweetly at him.

_I missed you, _her heart whispered but refused to rise from her lips.

* * *

"So, how are you, Nick?" she asked, twirling the spoon in her cup again. He looked up to find those chocolate orbs staring back at him and his heart raced. "I'm fine, I guess?" he mumbled, returning his gaze to his cup.

She reached out to him, her hand covering his with her eyes full of concern. "Anything wrong? You know I'm still here, right?"

"Sure didn't seem like it when you left, Sel," he shot back without meaning to and as soon as he said those words, he wished he could take them back. He watched her eyes widened and her hand quickly left his. Her lips were pressed into a line and she averted her gaze to the window. After a few seconds that held tense and thick silence, she spoke softly, "I didn't want to leave but I was scared."

He leaned forward to listen but she still didn't move from her position, eyes still fixed onto the outside. "Scared? Of me leaving you?" he asked, skeptical. She nodded slightly and sighed deeply, "People warned me to make the first move before you did... before you could have the chance to break my heart."

His mouth opened to speak but she continued on, "But in the end, I ended up hurting the both of us."

His eyes watched the girl in front of him, wondering how in the world did he come upon such perfection. She was sitting just right in front of him and yet he could feel that they were still miles apart, they still had a few tracks to cover and a few roads to discover. His fingers touched the tip of her chin and she shivered slightly from the butterflies that flew around in her stomach like it had been years since someone woke them up. He gently turned her head towards him, and his hopeful expression surprised her. It must have shown on her face because he chuckled at her.

"You know, you're one hell of a special girl. You broke me down, yet here you are, and just the sight of you completes me again. Only you can do that to me, Selena Marie." And with that, he leaned in a little more to touch her soft, pink lips.

Their lips moved perfectly in sync, like this was their first kiss in forever. She could feel the familiar pangs in her chest and she leaned into the kiss. Their lips craved for each other and nothing more than that. Desire was screaming in their chests, hands were fumbling to meet skins and lips played a burning battle that satisfied their cravings.

She was certain that no one in the universe could make her feel that way. She had fallen hard for a man whose heart she broke out of fear. And she was certain that he was the one she had been looking for. Only that, she was blind in the beginning, she had started to see clearer now. But as the famous saying goes, _love is indeed blind._


	3. the reunion

firstly, before the chapter begins, I would like to thank the reviewers and readers. I'm grateful for the five reviews on my story. I never thought I would even get a single review on such horrible writing.

Thank you, do continue to read & review. I love getting feedback xx

* * *

"Selena!" Joe ran across the room to meet the petite girl standing next to his brother, Nick. He immediately embraced her in a hug that overwhelmed her and almost threw her off her feet.

She was in a fit of giggles and pleaded him to stop. "Joe, honestly will you stop scaring her?" Nick said with amusement twinkling in his eyes. His brother eventually stopped spinning her around and looked at her for the first time in years from an arm's length. He pointed out the fact that she had shrank somehow which earned him a slap on his arm. Nick burst out laughing at that and Selena felt like she was finally at home.

They had all sat down for lunch. Nick ordered a steak, Joe ordered a cheeseburger and lastly Selena was happy with a grilled chicken salad which the boys protested but she waved them away, claiming that she had a heavy breakfast with her family. They began to chatter, sharing old happy memories and telling stories of what had happened in the last two years.

Selena was in the middle of telling them her experience of filming Spring Breakers when Joe interrupted her with a question that was clearly in his mind the whole time, _"How is Taylor?" _

She was stunned, her lips parted in a gasp. Nick wore a knowing smile and she pursued her lips, before answering Joe, "She's fine, actually." Joe nodded at this absentmindedly and muttered under his breath, "Of course she is, why wouldn't she be?"

At the sudden change of his behavior, Nick directed the conversation to his new broadway play and his experiences on stage. But it seemed like a tension hung above them after Joe's sudden question about his ex. After they finished their meals, Nick excused himself to go to the washroom. Selena used that opportunity to talk to Joe.

"She misses you, y'know," she said softly to the boy sitting in front of her, his eyes dazed. His head snapped up and she could see the hope building in his eyes. "Really?"

"Really," the ends of her lips turned upwards. "Give her a call, you never know, Joe. She may be hoping that you were the one who called her first." Selena tilted her head sideways, "And didn't you advise Nick to call me? You should take your own advice, Joseph."

Joe had a grin on his face and leaned forward to hug her tightly. His face was in her hair and he whispered into his ear, "Thank you, Sel." She returned the embrace and smiled brightly.

When Nick came back, he noticed that his brother had gone back to his joking self and he averted his eyes to meet the girl in front of her. He mouthed a _thank you _and she merely smiled at him. Underneath the table, their hands meet and she gave him a tug.


End file.
